Oops

So, a few weeks ago, this happened...

I'm not quite sure how it happened but I'm pretty sure a bad influence (perhaps more than one) who may or may not be in the picture above could have been involved.  So now I have something more dangerous in my shed than the RMX - which now has to go, so let me know if you want a fantastic little 450...

You probably have seen the odd blog where I've chased quads around on the 450 and I guess the idea now is to have a similar tool.  The RMX is outstanding fun but a struggle in the really slow and snotty bits.  It's hard to ride slow enough when following quads in the tight stuff (it needs more pace to momentum and also can get a bit hot under the collar) and on really slippery clay (amongst the pines for instance), it is hard to stay on/pick up/get rolling again for an old fart.  Open stuff is more it's forte and it can generally smoke any quad in the right conditions.

Anyway, a 2015 Suzuki Kingquad 500 AXI and currently in bits in the shed (that's for another blog).  It comes with 4WD Hi/low with front dif lock and a brilliant CVT trans.  She's in pretty good nick and once I sort out the current issue, she'll be great.

And of course, it's needed some farkles:

Good for at least an extra 10 km/h

I picked up the bars (2nd hand from a wrecker) as the plastics are actually in pretty good condition and I want to try and keep them in reasonable shape.  Following certain others, I've noticed trees and banks reaching out and rubbing on things.

So, I just need to sort my wee issue out, fit the mascot (yep, found something suitable on Temu), add a few stickers (damn you Temu) and come up with a name for it...

More soon...

New Vee video review

Liking what they're saying about comfort and ridability.  Max torque at lower rpm is great and will make the bike a good relaxed tourer.  Really want to see what they're like on gravel...

Engine sounds very similar to old one...

The new Vee

One of the first write-ups I've come across on the new Vee: http://canadamotoguide.com/2013/12/02/suzuki-1000-v-strom-launch/

Hmmmmmmmm.....

Manned Missle

Okay, I've finally come down from orbit after yesterday.  Well, not quite but yesterday the DL went in to get it's pesky leaky fork seal sorted and I was forced to borrow the bike below for the 5km journey to work.  I was late, so possibly it was the right choice...

2009 GSX-R1000

For those who perhaps aren't up to date with their sports bikes, this is Suzuki's flagship sport bike and I can confirm that is indeed a rocket!

The pointy end (nobody normally gets to see this once the bike is in motion)

The guys had the bike warming up out on the road while I geared up and climbed on (or perhaps into).  Somewhat surprisingly I found everything to be in the right place so I felt that the ergonomics were not too bad.  Of course, it is a sporty riding position and it feels a little like your bum is higher than your wrists (which are somewhere down by the front axle).  The seat was the usual sports bike plank but this was not going to be a problem for me on my commute.

Snicking it into first gear and pulling away I noticed a relatively tall first gear but the bike not only makes around 180hp but also plenty of torque.  In town the change from first to second is basically at the speed limit but I discovered that you could also then go up into third and the bike did not mind burbling along with somewhere around 3,000 revs on the dial.  Down changes took me a few goes to get the hang of but this was just due to the gear lever position.

Funnily enough, every other vehicle on the road was going far too slow and I definitely had to watch my speed.  Any twitch of the throttle and the bike was off - the thing just wants to go!  Later on my way back to return the bike I did a brief excursion out onto a short stretch of open road and managed to stretch the bikes legs ever so slightly.  Actually, I probably didn't even get into the bike's mid-range as I gave it a squirt in 3rd to get past some cars.  Suffice it to say I reached somewhere around the speed limit in a blink of the eye before needing to change gear...Then I settled down for the pootle back through town.

I can't really comment on the handling as riding around town is not going to test the handling of a sports bike.  Obviously the narrower bars mean that a bit more rider effort is required but then this is just another thing that makes riding a sports bike rewarding.

So would I ever own one?  Well, as much as the engine performance is addictive, the bike just has so much more potential than I'd ever be able to use or in other words more than enough potential to get me into trouble.  Perhaps the 600 would be a better safer bet...

The new Vee

The net is a-buzz - it looks like we have a new Vee coming!

More pics and information here on Motorcycle.comhttp://www.motorcycle.com/index.html.

So far I like the look - it's still "interesting" like my Vee but it needs a second muffler!  It appears to be slightly more road-oriented as seems to be the trend these days - I wonder if there will be a more off-road biased version too?

Good to see that they've fitted better brakes but will the radials be too much off-road?  I'd love my Vee to have better brakes on the tar but stay as they are for when I'm off road.  One slight touch off-road with radials and you might end up going down in a screaming heap.  Perhaps the ABS system has been designed so that it is usable (or has different modes) off road.

Panniers look small and the RHS one is smaller than the LHS (thanks for that idea BMW) but hug the bike a lot better than mine.  I guess the serious guys will still opt for the flash aluminium jobbies.

I do not need a new Vee, I do not need a new Vee...

109 Cubic Inches

With the Vee approaching 24,000km and a pretty serious adventure ride planned for the weekend it was time for her to get a service.  Heading in I was wondering what sort of ride I'd be offered to get me to work (please not the FXR) and man was I in for a nice surprise.  This is what I was given ('scuse the crappy phone pic):

Suzuki M109 Boulevard
(34 times the capacity of the scooter next to it!)

The M109 is nearly 1800cc and 347kg of muscle and attitude and probably not your typical cruiser.  This thing makes masses of torque from idle up and forces it into the road via a massive 240 section rear tyre.  Add to this an exhaust system (non original) that I'm pretty sure is not there to muffle the beast but to announce it's presence and you have the recipe for a real hooligan of a bike.  So naturally I loved it!

The forward foot controls took me a second or two to find (and I have to say I weren't my cup of tea) but I was grinning as soon as I let the clutch out and pottered off up to the traffic lights.  The beast was making some fabulous noises under me and I was looking forward to the unfortunately short ride to work.

I never got out of third but with all that torque I was able to trundle along with 2,000rpm or less on the dial (actually an lcd bar graph type rev counter) and simply give the throttle the tiniest nudge to have it pull away. For some strange reason I got quite a buzz out of giving it short squirts and then backing off again, listening to the music the bike made on a closed throttle.  I also had the opportunity to nail the bike off the line at a set of lights and yes, my arms are now slightly longer than they were when I got up this morning - talk about fun!

And know we get to the handling.  Well, if you want outstanding handling you never buy a cruiser.  In saying that, when ridden like a cruiser (I've ridden a couple of others in the past) then there was absolutely no issues.  The rider is completely unaware of the 347kg weight once under way, the bike is long and low and feels balanced and planted.  When turning, the bike leans over so far quite easily and then gets to a certain point where it feels like that's it, but if you apply some muscle then it eventually comes around to your way of thinking and leans over some more.  I have a sneaking feeling that this is more to do with that big fat rear tyre than the lazy cruiser geometry.  I never scraped anything on the road but then I wasn't trying that hard.  Braking was simply a non issue as Suzuki actually puts brakes on it's bikes and that big donk gives masses of engine braking too.

Heading back into town to pick up the DL I was in a fair bit of traffic so I just pootled along with a handful of revs on the dial but played at being a Harley rider by making sure that I was giving the throttle a decent blip on down changes and even occasionally at the lights to let the cage drivers know I was there and they'd better be careful or they'd be sucked into the air filters on the 109...

But I had to give it back...and I have to say that a certain torquey 1,000cc V-twin did not quite feel quite as torquey as usual - but at least it didn't need any persuasion to go around corners...

I still want a 109 though...

650 V-Strom Test ride

Finally, a proper article on the new 650 Strom: http://www.twowheelsblog.com/post/6671/2012-suzuki-v-strom-test-ride

Interesting to see that Simon Crafar was along for the ride...

More on the new V-Strom

Still no answer to my question but here's some more pics...

New V-Strom

After a lot teasing Suzuki have finally unveiled the new 650 V-Strom. To me it just looks like a restyling job - a bit more of a modern look. The screen appears to be adjustable and the bike is slightly lighter. One negative is a drop in tank capacity - a real shame when the 650's are renowned for their economy and range. More info here.

I only have one question - where's the thou?

Wee-strom 650

Dropping the Connie off to get new shoes today I had a couple of options offered up as a way to get to work: a FXR150 and a 650 V-strom. Obviously I thought long and hard, weighed up the pros and cons and eventually settled on the V-strom.

Actually it was a bit more simple than that - I'd wanted to ride a V-strom for a while as I've heard great things about them and pottering around on back roads, paved or unpaved really appeals to me - my lucky day.

The guys had the bike warming up for me so all I had to do was throw a leg over and get rocking. The seating position felt very familiar as it is not far off what I've experienced on Bandits and the Connie - a nice upright riding position with plenty of leg room. The handle bars are also in a nice comfortable position with all the usual controls easy to get at. The bars could perhaps be rolled a bit further forward to put them in an even more natural position - probably something very easy to do.

Pulling away I noticed that I wasn't on a 1400 anymore but the little twin was very impressive in it's performance and the clutch action was very light (especially compared to the VTR). Commuting to work was great fun: that nice high riding position giving a good view, the engine quite happy to sit on 3,000 rpm in fourth to bring up around 50-60km/h and the nimble handling making it a breeze to flick around corners. Around town 4,500 to 5,000 rpm was plenty between gears to get the bike accelerating at a reasonable rate and the brakes while not startling were well up to their job and backed up by ABS.

Suzuki claim a curb weight of 220kg and while this may sound quite heavy it certainly didn't feel that way when under way (and even when manoeuvring in and out of parks etc). The handling did feel like a trail bike in that you could just throw the bike into a corner but the front end felt far more planted than a trailee - probably that 220kg and less aggressive adventure tyres on the bike.

A ride of about 6km is hardly a test so I managed to sneak out of work a bit earlier and take the bike for a quick squirt out on the open road but unfortunately not enough time to go in search of some corners or maybe a gravel road. Out on the open road I gave her the odd squirt up to around 7,000 rpm and this gave plenty of acceleration and also a nice little growl out of the two into one exhaust.

At 100 km/h the motor is pulling around 4,500 rpm and another 500 rpm adds another 10 km/h and puts the motor in quite a sweet spot. The engine is very smooth here but you do still know you're on a V-twin - quite nice actually. Getting stuck behind a car at about 90 km/h the DL surprised me by accelerating very cleanly without the need for a downchange - no bogging down at all. It really is a sweet little mill that perhaps does punch above it's weight - certainly the 600 Hornet I rode a while go would prefer to be ridden harder to give similar performance.

As mentioned previously I did not get the chance to ride through some more challenging corners but the handling on the open road was absolutely fine. It's hard to say how great the screen is as it was a very warm day and any cooling from the wind was welcome. There was a bit of noise from the screen but I did not notice any nasty buffeting that I have heard talk of although once again it was a very nice day with no wind.

Overall, the littlest DL was a lovely little bike and I'm going to try to get another decent ride on it at some stage - and perhaps sample a 1,000 as well. Currently giving the idea of an adventure bike a bit of thought so who knows what might happen in the future...

Wee-strom info

Gixxers being born

Taming the Beast

Pffffft! As if I even got close to taming her but as mentioned in my Friday night ride post below, I was lucky enough to sample a very nice 'busa last night.

The bike in question was Martin's and he is a big Suzy fan also having an old GSX-R1100 in his shed too. I'm not sure what other mods Martin has done on the 'busa but it definitely has a very nice Hindle pipe and a TRE fitted to make the most of the big suzy's ompf.

Climbing into the bike (yep, feels like you're sitting in it rather than on top) everything feels good and all the controls are where you'd expect them. The bike also does not feel big and heavy but once under way you get that great planted feeling that comes with what is a pretty heavy bike. Personally I really like that planted feeling - something you don't get on the little VTR which can be quite flighty over bumpy roads with the back end bouncing around a little.

Arcing up the powerhouse rewards you with a lovely growl from the exhaust and you know that this bike is alive and ready to rock. Pulling away I immediately noticed how responsive the throttle was - very little throttle movement is rewarded with gobs of smooth 4 cylinder grunt. It actually took me a while to come to grips with this - I guess I was still in VTR mode and had to get used to the throttle action but whenever I changed up the bike would just leap forward. Whether this is a feature off all 'busa's or a result of the TRE I'm not sure but I am definitely sure that this bike wants to go - no matter what gear you're in or how few revs are on the dial. Very addictive.

As mentioned in the ride write-up, we were riding in a bunch and taking it pretty quietly which was fine by me as i was learning a new bike. The bike pottered along quietly and had absolutely no problems with any of the corners it was asked to tackle. Martin says that the bike isn't a great handler in the very tight stuff but personally I really liked the way it behaved on Nikau Road - very easy to pilot with that lovely planted feeling I mentioned above.

Later on, on the main road where the road is more suited to opening a bike up I got to give the 'busa a couple of little squirts (still treated the throttle with a lot of respect) and was rewarded with that instant take-off - there is no way that I'd ever be able to use all this bike's performance but it sure is fun having a quick sample!

Summing things up, the 'busa is a very comfortable and relaxing and easy bike to ride (no need to be up and down the box all day) with more go than I need. I now know why Steve loves his so much and is able to dispatch the Grand Challenge with ease. Thanks for the ride Martin - sorry the only picture I have has been cropped from an old one - no camera last night.

Big Four's rock!

GSX-R self-assembly

Pete's GSX-R For Sale

Pete is selling the mighty GSX-R. This is a lovely bike and in primo condition. Shouldn't take long to find a home...

GSX1250FA

Ok, so maybe there isn't a 2010 Bandit 'S' coming. Looks like it has changed into a GSX - at least in America anyway. Looks quite sharp. Just needs luggage, a bigger tank and a shaft...

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/639/4583/Motorcycle-Article/2010-Suzuki-GSX1250FA-and-Bandit-First-Look.aspx

Edit: Found another article with some more info on the GSX1250. More photos of the bike with some showing it fitted with luggage. Very nice.

http://www.twowheelsblog.com/post/2916/2916

SV1000S VS VTR1000F

Awesome - two weekends in a row I get

to try out different horses and compare them to the might VTR!  Dad only picked up his SV on Friday but was quite keen to take it for a run and meet me somewhere so I could have a little squirt.

I got on the SV at Porangahau Beach and road it back up Route 52 to Waipuk.  This is a primo ride with plenty of nice corners to throw a sportsbike at.

Getting on the SV, I noticed that the ride position is pretty similar to that of the VTR - the bars may be a little bit lower and also feel a little wider.  Seat comfort was a much of a muchness and weather protection was also similar - the standard screen of the SV was pretty good compared to the Givi one on the VTR.

Riding off and naturally you know it is V-twin - the same lumpy sort of power delivery although the motor seems to smooth out a bit more than the VTR once there's some revs on.  The fuel injection is very smooth and helps the quick response from engine even if in a high gear with not many revs on - to me this felt better than the VTR.  Once steaming along the bike feels very relaxed just like the VTR and it is easy to speed - the standard pipes are a bit louder than the VTR's but definitely not noisy.  As we were not riding hard and didn't try any top gear roll-on comparisons or anything it's hard to say which bike had more go (although the SV should win here), let's just say that the two twins offer similar performance and it's the kind that puts a big smile on the dial!

It took me quite a while to get used to the steering damper - especially in slower corners.  I haven't ridden a bike with one for a long time and you forget that you need to put in a bit more effort to get the bike through the corners.  I also felt (again because I'm not used to a damper) that it damped out some of the "feel" from the front wheel.  It was good however, in the bumpier corners where the VTR would have been a bit twitchier, the SV held it's line a bit better.  Dad had been playing with his suspension settings (softening them up) and it was in these bumpier corners where the bike felt a little soft in the rear.  The brakes were fine although I never had to use them hard.

Looks: well, the SV has a more modern look to it and is nice in black but they're pretty similar in that they both have minimal fairing's so that the motor can go on show.  The SV is perhaps the more aggressive looking and that probably fits as it is the "sportier" package of the two.  Twins are fun!

GSX-R1100 vs VTR1000F

Okay, so I got to go from my VTR to Murray's GSX-R and back again in one little ride, so what's the difference? What do I think? Well it was a pretty quiet little potter on the GSX-R but it was definitely nice to ride her again.

Firstly the riding position: they are both quite similar in that they have that sport's bike crouch but the on the GSX-R this is more pronounced and your feet are much higher and the bars are a bit lower. To me this makes the VTR just that little more comfortable and the better bike for longer distance rides - not something that either of them are really designed for.

What about the donks? Well, obviously this is where the differ the most. The VTR with it's 110hp V-twin and the GSX-R with it's larger 4 cylinder breathing with the aid of Yoshimura jets & headers and bellowing out of one of Brendon's Pro-muff mufflers - you've gotta be looking at somewhere around 140hp I guess. The GSX-R also makes do with one gear less than the VTR and is designed to be revved a bit more than the twin.

Surprisingly though the GSX-R motor is very well mannered - she didn't feel like she was going to bite even with a few revs on the dial but definitely sounded the part - gotta love that sound especially on more aggressive down changes. Cruising along at about the speed limit the bike also feels like it's going faster than at the same speed on the VTR. I put this down to the more buzzy motor (more explosions happening than on the VTR) and perhaps the difference in rider protection offered by the windshield. Not a bad thing - helps stop the speeding when it's perhaps not the place for it...

Cruising along the GSX-R feels every bit of the extra 30-40kg it has over the VTR but this is not a bad thing. I'm now pretty used to riding heavy beasts and they tend to feel a lot more planted on the road. This extra weight and what is probably better suspension than the VTR would probably make the GSX-R better behaved in bumpy corners and also perhaps a bit safer in the wet. Overall it felt great motoring down the road and was a lot of fun to ride.

Looks? Well, judge for yourself but personally I like the look of both of them but think that the GSX-R is showing it's age very gracefully and is still a great looking bike. I'd also have to say it's a better looking bike than the newer GSX-R1000's and Murray has truly kept this one in as new condition.

So would I have one? Well, if I was a zillionaire with a big shed (or sheds) it'd be great to own a truly classic superbike but I'm not and can only just justify the two I've got now. So if I could have had the VTR or the GSX-R for the same money? A tricky question but I think I would still have taken the VTR. Already having a four in the shed it is really nice to have something else which is totally different and that v-twin just puts a big smile on your dial!

Quick Busa

The Fastest Mile- 256.79 MPH on a Turbo Hayabusa

Baby Gixxers

Found this article about the possibility of 125 & 250 GSX-R's being released:

http://www.visordown.com/motorcyclenews/view/industry_eye_two_baby_gsx_rs_in_the_pipeline/2166.html

We've had 18,000rpm 250 4's before but what's the 125 gonna be?